The short answer: yes. Factory Hiro is the real deal, buy and download it without fear, it is a worthy remake of the original, finally available with a touch interface where it can shine.

The longer answer: compared to the original, graphics have obviously been remade, but everything in the gameplay will otherwise be familiar. Redirection boxes that you tap to toggle between vertical and horizontal direction, the trash destination and the recycle stream (and of course the default final destination: the delivery truck), assembling steps that you sometimes have to turn on or off, etc. It’s all there. In particular, the regulation of assembly line speed so you get your quota done in time for the end of the day, but not so fast that you end up being overwhelmed by the oncoming components to manage, is still the fundamental challenge of the game.

A nicety was added, though: when some trash gets generated (“Oh No!”), the speed will automatically switch to slowest for you, so it is much easier to manage these crises when they come. Other differences exist, but are less significant.

In non-gameplay aspects, the story was changed as well; these days of course it is told as cutscenes (created by KC Green) depicting the titular Hiro proving his hierarchy that yes, he can get the job done. And you, will you succeed?

Factory Hiro is available on the iOS App Store, as well as on the Google Play store for the Android version, and on PC and Mac through Steam (I got it for 3.49€ on the French iOS App Store; pricing will depend on your region); it was reviewed on an iPad Air 2 running iOS 11.4.1.

P.S.: In similar nostalgia-inspired discoveries, I should mention that I can’t believe I went such a long time without being made aware of Contraption Maker, for the creators of The Incredible Machine; this matters beyond nostalgia, as The Incredible Machine is one of the best pedagogical tools disguised as a game that I have ever come across, and Contraption Make is a worthy successor, improving it on many points such as the addition of rotation physics (want to do a cat flap? You can now.) or more digital logic elements for laser computing than you can shake a stick at.

And the last such discovery is for Two Point Hospital, in which you will find everything you liked from the original Theme Hospital; I haven’t played it yet, but if you’ve played the original and the trailer doesn’t convince you, I don’t know what will.